At Builden, we have worked with hundreds of attorneys on business development over the course of our history. Along the way, we have learned a lot about the blocks attorneys face when it comes to becoming successful business generators. What we have learned: nearly 100% of cohort participants develop new business, while some simply do not get traction in the one-on-one format.

Most attorneys come to us when they are ready to make a serious push on developing their book of business. Many are genuinely surprised to find out how much their long-term success depends on their ability to develop business, and because that realization can be uncomfortable, Builden steps in to give them a framework and help them build real confidence in their ability to grow a practice. Over the years, we have seen that our group coaching cohorts consistently outperform one-on-one coaching, both in the short term and especially over time.

Here is why cohorts work.

1. Normalizing Discomfort

Attorneys are often uncomfortable with business development, and a big part of that discomfort comes from thinking it is just them. They get in their own heads and assume everyone else has this figured out.

When a group of attorneys sits together and shares their reasons for avoiding a client call or putting off a prospect outreach, something shifts. One attorney hears a colleague’s excuse and thinks, “Wow, that is kind of silly.” Then comes the realization: “Wait. My reason is also silly.”

In our cohorts, the very first session includes what we call “getting the trash out of your head.” We surface the mental blocks attorneys bring into every business development conversation and look at them honestly. Once attorneys see that those blocks might not be grounded in reality, they become much more willing to try new things.

2. Peer Accountability

In one-on-one coaching, the close relationship between coach and attorney can actually work against accountability. Vulnerability is good, up to a point. But when a coach knows a lot about an attorney’s personal life and circumstances, it becomes easy for the attorney to lean on that. “You know what has been going on at home. That is why I could not get to those three things in the past month.”

That does not fly in a group setting.

When every member of the cohort knows what the homework is and has the same access to the coach, the dynamic changes completely. An attorney who does not do the work is the person who did not bother, while everyone else had just as much going on and still showed up. That kind of accountability is motivating. And it gets results.

3. Learning from Others’ Situations

The best part of a cohort session is when we, as the facilitators, stop talking.

We obviously need to talk for part of it. We bring a framework, tools and real-world examples. What really sparks ideas is when attorneys start talking to each other. Going around the room, hearing what someone tried, what worked, what was harder than expected and what surprised them is when the real learning happens.

Ninety minutes, once a month for six months. In that time, attorneys hear what worked for a colleague in a completely different practice area and start thinking about how they would adapt it for their own clients and their own style. We cannot script that kind of conversation. It only happens when people feel safe enough to be honest about what they are experiencing.

4. Built-In Referral Sources for Cross-Practice Cohorts

Most firms build their cohorts around attorney level rather than practice group, putting senior associates, new partners or lateral hires together regardless of what they practice. One of the less obvious benefits of that structure is that cohort members end up genuinely learning what their colleagues do.

As attorneys share what they are working on, recent wins and upcoming events, they start to see where their colleagues’ work connects to their own clients. Referrals and introductions start happening organically. Members of the cohort leave with accountability partners, yes, but also with colleagues they trust, people they can bring into a pitch, people who think of them when a client need comes up.

It is always easier to hunt in packs. The cohort gives attorneys their own built-in pack.

The Bottom Line

Business development is hard. It asks attorneys to step outside the work they spent years training for and do something that can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Most attorneys find that easier when they are not alone.

What Builden has seen, over and over, is that the attorneys who go through a cohort come out the other side with more than a business development plan. They have a real network inside their own firm. They have people who know their work, who will think of them when the right client need comes up, and who they can call when they need a second opinion before a pitch.

The framework matters. But the community is what makes it stick.